A machine, such as, for example, an engine, a generator, or a vehicle, may include one or more sources of power. Power sources may include engines, batteries, and any other suitable energy generating or energy storage devices. The machine may also include powered devices that may run using power generated or otherwise supplied by the power source. During operation of the machine, multiple powered devices may request power from the power sources. At times, power requests may conflict because the power sources may not be capable of fulfilling each and every power request.
If power requested by the powered devices exceeds the available power from the power source, some or all of the powered devices may not receive sufficient power, and/or the power source may fail or stall. Power source failures may result in machine downtime and decreased efficiency. Intelligently distributing power to different parts of the machine may help to reduce power source failures. Intelligently distributing power from the power sources to the powered devices may involve deciding which powered devices will receive power and how much power they will receive.
One attempt to control the distribution of power in a machine is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,986,398 to Obayashi (“Obayashi”). Obayashi discloses a power feed portion including a power storage portion and a power generation portion. The power feed portion feeds electric power to a plurality of on-vehicle loads. In cases where the sum of feedable electric power is smaller than the sum of required electric power or in cases where an electric quantity related to the sum of feedable electric power is smaller than an electric quantity related to the sum of required electric power, a control portion increases the sum of feedable electric power or decreases the sum of required electric power. However, in some instances, the power feed portion may produce undesirable results when it decreases the sum of required electric power. Further, the power feed portion may not provide a framework for distributing power to the plurality of on-vehicle loads while also adjusting the operating state of the power generation portion so that the power generated is generated in a desirable manner. These drawbacks may lead to inefficiencies and lackluster machine performance.
The disclosed system and method is directed at overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.